Jesus (miniseries)
Jesus is the 11th video project in the Bible Collection and the 7th miniseries in the Bible Collection. The miniseries casts Jeremy Sisto as Jesus, and some others, like Debra Messing and Gary Oldman. The 2-episode miniseries was finished in 1999, along with Esther the film. The miniseries was directed by Roger Young, Jesus is portrayed as a human Jesus in the miniseries (like laughing and crying in some instances), and although it would go along with the Bible, it has some non-biblical stuff in it, such as Mary mother of Jesus had a large role in the miniseries, as well as Judas and Mary Magdelene, who is portrayed by tradition as a prostitute. The film also includes a fictional roman Historian, Livio, who hangs out with King Herod Antipas several times. He himself saw the crucifixion of Jesus. Jesus was also portrayed in the miniseries as a non-violent leader, as he is very forgiving in the film, such as when he forgave the Woman Caught in Adultery. Plot First episode There are some wars with people calling on the name of Jesus for war, and we see Jesus wake up after this dream. Joseph and Jesus were going back to Nazareth (they went to visit Mary and Martha and Lazarus at Bethany first). Before that, Levi, a tax collector, was taking over at Mary the mother of Jesus' home and took some chickens as of the taxes that were due. When Joseph and Jesus returned, Joseph, an old man, dies of a heart attack. Joseph and Jesus had a strong relationship, so at the burial, Jesus was pleading with God to raise Joseph. Soon, Mary the mother of Jesus tells her son about his mission as the Messiah. So, Jesus decides to answer his call. Jesus returns to Mary and Martha and Lazarus. Mary wanted to marry Jesus, but Jesus says he won't be able to marry her (or anyone). Jesus found John the Baptist at the Jordan River, and they recall when Jesus was in Jerusalem at 12. John agrees to baptize Jesus, and then Jesus was glorified as the Lamb of God. Jesus goes to the desert and got tempted by Satan in two forms, a man and a woman. Jesus resists the temptations and goes back up to Nazareth. Jesus was followed by Andrew and John, and Jesus' mother recalls the birth of Jesus to Jesus. Jesus goes to a wedding, and he turns water into wine. He calls Peter and James after he gave them a whole net of fish. Jesus does another miracle with a lame man, and the disciples had Thomas follow him. John the Baptist was arrested by Herod, king at the time. Soon, Jesus calls Levi (named Matthew) the tax collector and Judas after there was a Zealot raid. Meanwhile, Herod orders the death of John the Baptist. Jesus soon forgives a woman caught in adultery, and then he cleanses the temple. Second episode Jesus teaches his Sermon on the Mount and calls his 12 apostles. Jesus walks on water, meets a Canaanite woman (and heals her daughter), and then raises Lazarus, brother of Mary and Martha at Bethany. This caused debate over the priests and scribes, and they finally decided to have Jesus put to death. Jesus enters Jerusalem on a donkey and then tells his apostles what would happen to him (crucifixion). Peter refuses to let this happen, but Jesus was firm. The news shocked Mary, and they together had a discourse. After the last Supper, Jesus goes to a garden to pray over his mission. Satan (the male version) appears to Jesus, and tells him that he would die in vain (and even shows him the bad side of history after the Biblical era), but Jesus was (as ever) firm. Jesus was even willing to forgive Satan, but Satan doesn't want forgiveness. Jesus was betrayed by Judas with a kiss, and he was taken to Caiaphas, who sends him to Pilate, who sends him to Herod, who in turn sends him to Pilate. Pilate had Jesus whipped publicly and taken to crucifixion after Pilate released Barabbas. Jesus screams very loudly and the crucifixion was very passionate as he screams loudly. Jesus finally dies after saying, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." Jesus was buried after his death. But Jesus rises to life on the third day, and he appears to Mary Magdelene and the remaining 11 apostles (Judas committed suicide before Jesus rose to life) and his mother Mary, and then tells them to spread the message far and wide. There are 2 alternate endings to the miniseries: * Jesus ascends to heaven, and the 12 unite together * Jesus returns to the present day and greets a bunch of children Cast Jeremy Sisto as Jesus Debra Messing as Mary Magdelene Gary Oldman as Pilate Jacqueline Bisset as the mother of Jesus, Mary Armin Mueller-Stahi as the father of Jesus, Joseph Christian Kohlund as Caiaphas Jeroen Krabbe as the male Satan Manuela Ruggeri as the female Satan David O'Hara as John the Baptist G.W. Bailey as Livio Inaccurate parts Despite the miniseries being popular, it is known as the most inaccurate of the whole Bible Collection. Minor Inaccurate Parts * John the Baptist was never with Jesus when he was 12 years old, as the film portrays. * Jesus never threw stones at Lake Galilee * Sign on the cross says, "INRI" (it should have the Hebrew, Latin, and Greek "King of the Jews" instead. * The miracle of water into wine was with Andrew, John, and Peter. In the film, Peter wasn't called yet. * Mary Magdelene was called a prostitute, but there's no evidence in the Bible for this, Major Inaccurate Parts * Jesus weeps at Joseph's burial * Jesus was clueless about his mission until Mary called it to his attention * Jesus dances twice in the film, once at the Wedding at Cana * Jesus never started a water fight * Baptism was by immersion, but the film didn't do the right baptism. * The Resurrection was rushed. Everything happened in a day, when it really all happened in 40 days. Accurate parts The miniseries also has accurate parts as well, that some people don't know is true: * Pilate orders some Galileans slain in the miniseries, which is referenced in Luke 13:1. Addition of Livio Livio was an additional character in the miniseries. Livio hangs out with Herod on some instances and was at the banquet when Herod orders the death of John the Baptist. Livio uses theatre masks to recreate the cleansing of the temple that Jesus performed. Livio was watching from a distance when Jesus was crucified. When Jesus shouted, "Father, forgive them. For they know not what they do", Livio responds, "We know exactly what we're doing, Messiah. We're killing you." He leaves after the feet were nailed in, never to be seen in the miniseries again. Ending of the miniseries There is 2 alternate endings of the film, which is either: # Jesus ascends, and by doing so, with the help of Mary, mother of Jesus, the 11 remaining apostles, Mary Magdelene, and herself unite together. # Jesus returns to Earth in present-day, and greets some children, and walks with them. Film The miniseries was formed into a whole film eventually, usually rated PG. The running time for the film was debated, as some editions have different lengths. Some editions have not included the hanging of Judas or even the closeup of the nail and Jesus screaming passionately. The film was among the 12 films in the Bible Collection that were remastered in HD, lasting about 3 hours. The remastered edition also had full cropping, as originally, it was 4X3 cropping. Translations Besides English, there is Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, and other dubbings of the miniseries/film. Sources * Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus_(1999_film) * IMDb - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0199232/ * Letterboxd - https://letterboxd.com/film/jesus-1999/ * Tv Tropes - https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Series/Jesus1999 * Western Institute - https://www.westarinstitute.org/resources/the-fourth-r/jesus-the-mini-series/ Category:Miniseries